There is an interest in developing methods and compositions for producing usable energy from renewable and sustainable biomass resources. Energy in the form of carbohydrates can be found in waste biomass, and in dedicated energy crops, for example, grains, such as corn or wheat, or grasses, such as switchgrass.
A current challenge is to develop viable and economical strategies for the conversion of carbohydrates into usable energy forms. Strategies for deriving useful energy from carbohydrates include the production of ethanol and other alcohols, conversion of carbohydrates into hydrogen, and direct conversion of carbohydrates into electrical energy through fuel cells. Examples of strategies to derive ethanol form biomass are described by DiPardo, Journal of Outlook for Biomass Ethanol Production and Demand (EIA Forecasts), 2002; Sheehan, Biotechnology Progress, 15:8179, 1999; Martin, Enzyme Microbes Technology, 31:274, 2002; Greer, BioCycle, 61-65, April 2005; Lynd, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 66:3, 506-577, 2002; and Lynd et al. in “Consolidated Bioprocessing of Cellulosic Biomass: An Update,” Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 16:577-583, 2005.